After six years of trying and four miscarriages, a first-time mother gives birth to triplets at the age of 44.
A 44-year-old woman and her 51-year-old husband, who invested over $100,000 in fertility treatments, acupuncture, and homeopathic remedies, have welcomed triplet daughters into their lives after their “last attempt” at IVF. Despite being diagnosed with insufficient progesterone and enduring four heartbreaking miscarriages, Leonie Fitzgerald remained determined and refused to lose hope.
Leonie and her spouse Peter got married in 2013 and started trying for a baby 18 months later. However, it wasn’t until March 2017 that they conceived naturally. Tragically, Leonie experienced her first miscarriage after thirteen weeks. In August of the same year, they tried IVF for the first time, but it was unsuccessful. Leonie said, “We realized that IVF was our only option and we held onto renewed hope. You never expect it to fail until it actually happens. The subsequent three miscarriages, one through IVF and two natural, didn’t impact me as much physically or emotionally because I only found out I was pregnant in the third week, so I had little time to form a strong attachment.”
After the second IVF cycle, Leonie left her highly stressful job and started her own property investment and wealth business. Despite spending around £55,000 on acupuncture, specialists, and various alternative treatments, the couple faced continued disappointment. Determined, Leonie decided to give IVF another chance. She said, “Over the years, I experienced a lot of despair and hopelessness, wondering if it would ever happen, so we decided this would be our final attempt.” Unfortunately, she suffered her fourth miscarriage in October 2019, at four weeks, after the second IVF attempt. At 42 years old, time was running out and she felt devastated. Despite her initial decision not to try again, she sought guidance from a clairvoyant. When the clairvoyant told her she saw her having twins and encouraged them to try again, they did.
On January 21, 2020, following her third IVF cycle, Leonie became pregnant with triplet daughters. Recalling the moment when the ultrasound revealed three heartbeats, Leonie said, “Our third and final IVF cycle was successful. The third time was definitely the charm. I remember exchanging glances and smiling. It was unexpected since we had only two embryos. But when we found out it was triplets, we were overjoyed.” Leonie experienced morning sickness from week seven until delivery. She spent about an hour in the shower every morning and the rest of the day on the sofa. She couldn’t eat or work, and she also had thyroid issues that required specialized treatment. During the delivery, Leonie had a seizure and an elevated pulse rate, which led to an unsuccessful operation. The triplets, Charlotte weighing 4lb 2oz, and twins Liliana and Isabella weighing 2lb 6oz and 3lb 5oz respectively, spent 34 days in the NICU before going home with their loving parents.
“I initially felt quite distant from them because I didn’t get the first cuddle. But as I sat by their sides in the NICU, we bonded,” Leonie shared. “Peter and I didn’t grow up with children, so our knowledge about them came from incredible nannies. Bringing them home was surreal; we had no idea where to start. We had to expand our three-bedroom house to five and purchase an eight-seater car. Initially, the triplets went through ten diapers and twenty-four bottles per day. Sometimes we had 1,000 diapers in the house. We are fortunate to have a caregiver four days a week and support from our family and friends.”
Despite the chaos in their household, the couple has learned to be extremely organized and make the most of their time. Leonie added, “It was devastating to spend nearly six years trying to have a child, to say the least. But I wouldn’t trade our busy lives for anything. Having a more positive outlook and relying on our intuition as we age are definitely advantages. We have the wisdom of sage advice.”
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